Spielberg’s Ready Player One Adaptation Has A Release Date!

Two years from now, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Star Wars Episode VIII will hit theaters. Seems fitting that on December 17, 2017 the Steven Spielberg-directed film adaptation of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One–a love letter to sci-fi, fantasy, and video games—will join them.

Ready Player One depicts the world in the year 2045– a dystopian future riddled with unemployment and overpopulation where members of society escape into a virtual reality world, known as OASIS, that is full of geeky nostalgia. Not only do people access OASIS to play games, but many go to school and work there as well. The main story follows Wade Watts, a high school aged kid, as he hunts the virtual reality realm (known as OASIS) in search of its recently-deceased James Halliday riches–the creator of OASIS and someone who comes off as a mix between Willy Wonka and Shigeru Miyamoto.  As it turns out, players must search for an Easter egg hidden hidden by Halliday, but to get to it, three keys must be found within the digital realm.

The novel makes references to some of the most iconic movies and video game properties of the 70’s and 80’s, and it will be interesting to see just how much Steven Spielberg will be allowed to include in the film adaptation. A tall order indeed, considering the likes of Star Wars, The Goonies, The Last Starfighter, Asteroids, Robotron, Dungeon & Dragons, Golden Axe, and [Geekscape founder Jonathan London will love this] The Beastmaster are all referenced, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Mr. Spielberg.

What sequences of Ready Player One are you most excited about seeing on the big screen? Sound off in the comment section below and let us know!